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Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., broke with his party by praising President Donald Trump for Operation Epic Fury on Saturday — calling the elimination of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei a "historic" moment that should be celebrated by Americans across party lines.
Fetterman called Khamenei "one of the most evil people that ever lived" on "Hannity," echoing Trump's Truth Social post announcing Khamenei's death.
Fetterman said Operation Epic Fury marked a "historic day" for America. (Iranian Leader's Press Office - Handout/Getty Images; Matt Rourke/AP Photo)
"And I can't imagine why Democrat, Republican, everyone can't celebrate that [Khamenei's death], because tens of millions of people in Iran are absolutely celebrating that thing," he said.
"And now you could have real peace in that region and a way forward, perhaps being freed from this toxic, awful regime," he added.
Operation Epic Fury, described by officials as a series of coordinated strikes on Iran by the U.S. and Israel early Saturday morning, reportedly targeted what they called high-value Iranian sites, including Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) command-and-control facilities, naval assets and underground locations believed to be tied to Iran’s nuclear program.
Smoke rises over Tehran after Israeli airstrikes on Iran on Feb. 28, 2026. (Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Iranian air defense weapons, missile and drone launch sites and military airfields were also targeted, according to officials.
Israeli forces targeted sites linked to Khamenei, a senior Israeli official confirmed to Fox News.
The strikes have exposed divisions within both political parties, with some Democrats voicing support while some Republicans questioned their constitutionality.
Fetterman called out the "naysayers" and "so-called experts" criticizing the military campaign, asking, "Aren’t you ever tired of being wrong about this?"
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"Everybody claimed that this was going to turn into like a huge disaster, or [said that] things could… get out of control. And that's just absolutely not what happened," he said.
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He called for a bipartisan celebration, regardless of whether it would "anger the base."
Trump's latest strikes against Iran have intensified a growing bipartisan push in Congress to rein in his war powers, with lawmakers in both parties demanding votes on resolutions aimed at limiting his authority to use military force in the region.
Fetterman also appeared on "Fox & Friends Weekend" Saturday.
When asked by Fox News' Lawrence Jones why he had decided to break from those within his own party and some Republicans who didn't agree with Trump's decision to strike Iran, Fetterman said "it was the right thing."
"Well, because that was always the right thing," he responded. "You can just put out, you know, tweets and statements, you know, to support peace, but to actually create real peace, you have to do these kinds of actions just like what [just] happened. Just like last year too, when they — to destroy [Iran's] nuclear facilities."
Fox News Digital's Brie Stimson, Alex Miller and Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.
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Max Bacall is an Associate Editor for the Flash/Media/Culture team at Fox News Digital.
